Saturday, March 25, 2017

The Third Man (1939)

Poor Holly Martins, not only did his parents saddle the pulp
Western writer with an odd moniker, but when he travels to Vienna at the
invitation of a school chum, he arrives just in time for his friend’s funeral.
Harry Lime’s death leaves his lovely actress girlfriend, Anna Schmidt, to
grieve and Holly with many questions. Though warned by British MP, Major
Calloway, that Lime was a criminal, Holly is determined to uncover the truth
and clear his friend’s name.

Set post-WWII Allied-occupied Vienna, The Third Man has
all classic elements of noir, a grieving beauty who knows more than she
reveals, chase scenes down shadowy streets and a hero intent on discovering the
truth. A common pitfall of mysteries is
too many plot twists and not enough character development. Thanks
to Graham Greene’s script, the British film has both mystery and distinctive
characters.

“A person doesn’t change just because you find out more,”
Anna Schmidt declares.